doc severinsen

Flashy Big Band Fever

He dresses like Rip Taylor, blows a mean horn and is a cultural icon of a bygone era.

Most remember Carl “Doc” Severinsen, if they do at all, from his long-running gig leading the NBC Orchestra on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show.” He was a willing foil for Carson and a flamboyant, hip musician with a quick wit who single-handedly created the late-show-bandleader-as-sidekick role. He and his top-notch NBC band were largely responsible for bringing the often overlooked musical magic of a great big band to a nightly audience of millions.

That job ended with Carson’s retirement in 1992, but Severinsen, now 85, continues to tour and record. His fashion sense aside, Serverinsen is no musical joker. At the tender age of 12, he won the prestigious Music Educator’s National Contest and has played and recorded with such jazz and big band giants as Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman. Fittingly, Severinsen is now a one-man ambassador of big band jazz at pops concerts around the country.

Catch him in that role for two nights at the CSO’s “Big Band Fever” concert at the Tivoli. You can’t miss him on stage. His jackets still sparkle, but it’s his golden horn and the classic standards that put the flash in his big band shows.

Don’t miss it.

“Big Band Fever” Doc Severinsen with the CSO Pops conducted by Bob Bernhardt